WESTERN BUREAU:
THEY BOTH have scales, lots of teeth and are amphibious, but there are a few differences between alligators and crocodiles that you can shake a tail at.
The distinction is important because alligators have been unfairly blamed for attacks on animals and people in Jamaica. They couldn't have done the deed because there are no alligators in Jamaica. Furthermore, of the nine species of crocodiles in the world Jamaica has only one -- the American crocodile, which is the smallest and least aggressive. The largest and most aggressive is the Australian saltwater crocodile.
The infamous Lester, blamed for killing a woman on the Black River last year and who was in turn killed, was 14 feet long, and an 18-footer was once spotted in Font Hill. It's suspected that there are larger ones.
Alligators more aggressive
The alligator is more aggressive than the crocodile.
Besides being bigger in general, with a longer tail, there are two other obvious physical differences.
The snout of the crocodile is narrower than the alligator's.
Because of its narrow snout, the fourth tooth on both sides of the upper and lower jaws of the crocodile are exposed. In the alligator they are hidden in a socket.
Information supplied by the NRCA
M.C.
